Lifespan

Raising chain: The inner life of American Boys

1.  Answer the following questions in your 'mini-paper'

2. Discuss the factors that, according to Kindlon and Thompson, create the "culture of cruelty." What do you think? Have you experienced the culture of cruelty yourself, and if so, why do you think this culture of cruelty exists? (Is there a parallel culture of cruelty for girls? If so, how is the culture of cruelty for girls different from the culture of cruelty for boys?) Make sure that your answers include some discussion of the text.

3. Why does isolation,particularly that of a desperate and threatening sort, appear to ensnare more boys than girls? What leaves boys lost in the labyrinth of the self, and what helps them to move through that maze toward others? What can a parent do to distinguish a meaningful retreat to solitude from a harmful, helpless fall into depression?